Volume One, Chapter 16: As Long as There Is Profit to Be Made

“I’m living here now; I should have a key, right?” Fang Tao asked lazily.

Tang Xinyi immediately called out, “Xu Ma, give him a set of keys.”

Fang Tao took the keys, turned on the TV, and leaned back on the sofa, settling in comfortably.

Tang Xinyi exchanged a glance with Zheng Li before quietly heading upstairs.

After an unknown length of time, Tang Xinyi’s voice came down from the stairs: “Still watching? Do you know what time it is? Aren’t you going to sleep?”

Fang Tao glanced at the clock on the wall and muttered softly, “It’s not even midnight yet.”

He turned back to see Tang Xinyi standing at the top of the stairs, arms crossed, looking at him. Even in loose pajamas, her alluring figure was unmistakable. The silk fabric clung to her body, making her even more enticing under the light.

Fang Tao, having been separated from Wang Rong for a year, felt a flush of heat. “Sleep together?” he blurted impulsively.

“Dream on!” Tang Xinyi shot him a glare, clearly annoyed by his words.

Fang Tao immediately deflated. “I thought you wanted to wait for me…”

“Enough nonsense. Remember, nine o’clock tomorrow morning, Deep City International Hotel. There’s a banquet to attend,” Tang Xinyi said as she slowly descended the stairs, her toes playfully swaying before his eyes.

“There’s a young master from the Ye family who’s been chasing after me. I need you to cause some trouble…” she added.

Fang Tao almost retched. “I’m not going…”

He decisively rejected the proposal.

Tang Xinyi looked at him in surprise. “Why don’t you want to?”

Fang Tao frowned, worried. “It’s dangerous. If I go and cause trouble and get beaten up, who am I supposed to cry to?”

“Fine, if you won’t help, that’s okay,” Tang Xinyi said. “I can handle it myself. After all, the marriage certificate is in my hands. When the time comes, I’ll show it to everyone and tell them you divorced Wang Rong for me, but now you’re just abandoning me…”

“What a scumbag!” Zheng Li appeared in the living room at just the right moment and chimed in.

Fang Tao was dumbfounded by the label, like a lost puppy staring blankly at the stars, completely clueless. Looking at the two women before him, he thought either they were insane, or he was about to lose his mind.

“How am I a scumbag?” he muttered to himself.

Tang Xinyi looked at him with a sympathetic gaze. “Tell me, do you think he’ll come looking for trouble with you?”

---

Fang Tao’s face flushed red and then paled, unsure whether from anger or fear.

“Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. That guy is Ye Ziqing, the eldest young master of the Ye family,” Tang Xinyi added.

Fang Tao’s complexion darkened further. Who didn’t know the Ye family? They were the wealthiest in Deep City and a family renowned for martial arts. If they found out he had stolen the attention of the Ye family’s eldest young master, they definitely wouldn’t let him off.

“This… we’re only in a fake marriage. I can explain it clearly…” Fang Tao tried to defend himself.

Tang Xinyi smiled smugly. “Who’d believe that? Tonight you stayed at my place, and many people saw it. By tomorrow, this will spread all over Deep City.”

As she spoke, she took Fang Tao’s hand and leaned gently against him.

“Click!” Zheng Li quickly snapped a photo of them together, the picture looking especially intimate.

“You… aren’t you scared? You’re a girl after all…” Fang Tao’s eyes went wide.

Tang Xinyi let go of his hand and replied, “Why should I be afraid?”

“You’re crazy. You really are a crazy woman…” Fang Tao was utterly speechless.

“You’re a man. You should protect your wife! Do you want Wang Rong to put another green hat on you?” Tang Xinyi batted her big, sparkling eyes at him.

“But… you never said you’d do this before…” Fang Tao felt trapped and tried to back out, but it was already too late.

“Oh, just this once. I won’t make you cause trouble often,” Tang Xinyi reassured him.

Fang Tao was at a loss, as if black lines were swirling above his head.

“Will you agree?” Tang Xinyi tugged his hand gently, her voice sweet as honey. Then she seemed to lean in subtly, the alluring curves beneath her loose pajamas faintly revealed.

Fang Tao took a deep breath and tried to sound firm. “Alright, but this is the last time. If anything like this happens again, I won’t get involved.”

“That’s a real man!” Tang Xinyi released his hand, straightened her pajamas, and smiled brightly.

“Of course I’m a real man, but this goes beyond the contract. I need an extra ten thousand,” Fang Tao said, glancing sideways and holding up a finger.

Tang Xinyi frowned slightly. “Five thousand.”

“You’re so stingy,” Fang Tao grumbled.

“Five thousand, no bargaining,” Tang Xinyi insisted.

---

“Fine, five thousand it is. Pay up first…” Fang Tao nodded helplessly and reached out to take the money. Although this sum was just a drop in the ocean compared to the huge debt owed to his master, it was still some gain.

“Sister Li, give it to him…” Tang Xinyi said.

Once the money was in hand, Fang Tao bounced up the stairs with a strange gait, almost like he had springs in his feet. Behind him, Tang Xinyi and Zheng Li’s conversation floated into his ears, remarking on his awkward walk and saying he wasted a handsome face.

“Women don’t understand the hardships us men go through,” Fang Tao muttered to himself.

On the second floor, two towering bodyguards blocked his path, their sharp eyes like knives, silently warning him not to take another step forward.

Slipping into the room, he immediately stripped and dove into the bathroom, turning on the cold water tap. In an instant, a wisp of steam seemed to rise, with a sizzling sound, like hot iron meeting cold water.

“Ah, now that’s refreshing!” he hummed off-key, his voice echoing through the villa like a lone wolf’s howl in the dead of night.

Downstairs, the two women listened to the strange singing above. Zheng Li worriedly asked, “Miss, is this guy really reliable? The Ye family isn’t someone to mess with. What if he gets scared and runs off in the middle of the night?”

Tang Xinyi smiled slightly at the bodyguards. “With Xiong Da and Xiong Er guarding, he won’t fly even if he had wings. Besides, I doubt he wants to run.”

“Why? Does he really have some scheme with you?” Zheng Li asked anxiously.

Tang Xinyi was confident. “Don’t guess wildly. He’s a money lover who was just kicked out by the Wang family, broke as can be. How could he give up a monthly salary of twenty thousand here?”

Zheng Li nodded. “As long as there’s profit, he probably won’t leave easily…”

Fang Tao had no time to listen to their gossip. After his shower, he lay down on the enormous bed, savoring this rare moment of leisure.

The next day, Fang Tao was lost in a sweet dream, tangled in the covers like an octopus.

Half-awake, he opened his eyes to see Zheng Li standing at the bedside, hands on hips, glaring at him as if he were an enemy.

“Why… why did you come in without knocking?” he hurriedly pulled the covers tighter.

Zheng Li ignored him, yanked the covers off, and shouted, “Should I knock on your forehead instead?” Before she finished, she screamed, pulling her hands back and stepping away repeatedly. “Why are you sleeping naked?”